Singer. Songwriter. Artist. Performer. Marketing Genius. And she’s BRAT. One Barnard student’s observations and thoughts on Charli XCX from Section 206, Brooklyn night two.

I like to pride myself on being on top of pop culture. As an avid writer, reader, watcher, and occasional doom scroller, the minute I found out that Charli XCX was coming to Brooklyn, NYC for four nights I knew I had to go. Yes, I had to find a way. 

While I did not win the Ticketmaster war, I found my way towards some pretty good resale tickets–upper level of Barclays, looking right down at the stage. And before you ask, why didn’t you want to be in the pit? Why didn’t you want to be closer? You have to be able to see the screen!

I did, but my savings account did not. And yours wouldn’t either. 

Come Thursday night it was time to get ready. And by getting ready, I mean abandoning my school bag, finding every black piece of clothing I own, putting on sunglasses, and stepping outside. There is nothing more perfect than getting ready for the soundtrack you are just waiting to see live. In my opinion, that is the only get-ready situation I want to participate in.

When I arrived in Brooklyn with my friend, there was no telling you hadn’t just entered Charli’s world. Every single person was dressed in some sort of iteration of black and sunglasses, adorned by the signature green throughout the entrance. Brat felt more like a community at this point than just a word. It was an album that capitalized off a summer marketing and cultural move by Charli, but it had also become a moment in time that we as fans have continued to chase. And will never stop.  

Sprinting to our seats, my friend and I successfully made it to our section. Perched at the top of the stage, blue lights surrounded us, a slight smoke enveloping the stands. There was a feeling we would never experience anything else like this before. Quite literally, the calm before the storm. 

Unless I had snagged tickets to the Sweat tour, this was probably the first and last time I would see Charli in the peak of the Brat era. There was nothing I wasn’t prepared for at this point. When the lights cut and the screen came to life, an immediate thumping bass erupted throughout the stands. I felt the ground shake and of course, launched myself from the seat to jump to 365. 

Everybody at the top of their lungs: 

Okay, okay, okay

Here we go

When I’m in the club, yeah, I’m (bumpin’ that)

When I’m at the house, yeah, I’m (bumpin’ that)

365, party girl (bumpin’ that)

And for an hour and a half, we did not stop. No flashing lights, slanted seats, or lack of stage view could stop the 19,000 fans in Barclays Center from throwing their hands in the air and singing every single lyric, including Bille Elisih and Lorde’s parts. With a surprise appearance from BB Trickz and an encore in which I thought I was going to launch my phone into the pit of the stage during I LOVE IT, Brat night two came to a close.

The thing is, while I could talk about just the concert itself for the rest of this review, I can not help but think about Brat from a marketing perspective (subtle plug for my amazing creatives at Columbia Marketing Club this is for you). Because it’s more than just a word.

The reason I was drawn to the image of Brat the entire time I was studying abroad last summer was its narrative. When it dropped at the beginning of June I think everybody knew it was going to be big. Charli had hits, but she never embraced a moment as much as she did Brat.

It started with the lead-up, even before the iconic tracklist came out. Random signs began to pop up in places, the signature green beginning to pick up steam on social media. Any person knows a good marketing campaign reaches its peak because of the build-up. And build up we did–literally, with green walls. 

As mentioned in an article by Worklife, “These seemingly simple green walls were self-generating advertisements, posted widely online by curious passersby for weeks before the release” (Worklife). It created mystery and that drew people in. Many embraced this aesthetic on social media, while others did not know how to react. I mean how could you, there was nothing to really build off, but it got people talking.

The best part about the marketing campaign was that it started to morph into a cultural phenomenon. It wasn’t just promotion, it was a lifestyle—blurring the lines of fashion, technology, reality, and story. Coining the album Brat first led to discourse around the definition of a very ambiguous word. Isn’t a brat a spoiled person, like a really mean person? Yet that could not be farther from Charli’s vision. 

In her mind, Brat is: messy, authentic, real, a party girl, downright fun to be around, and duh, bratty. 

But Brat also means reliability. It provides a place of personal connection as her album’s lyrics speak to themes of womanhood, friendship, relationships, trauma, and many other things people deal with, celebrity or not. Clearly, Charli’s definition of Brat needs its own spot in the dictionary.

As another one of my Barnard peers (Carly Law, Barnard ‘26) attended Brooklyn night three this past Saturday, she said, “Brat is the epitome of being a girl in college. It is the perfect balance of crazy, classy, ratchet, and sexy. If there’s one thing I learned this past year, it’s that you must embrace the Brat.”

Let me repeat that again, you must embrace the Brat. 

From the genius social media routes Brat took, the political phenomena it attracted, and the celebrity partnerships it led to—I think my point has been made. Brat has been a part of all our lives in some way or another. And no one article review can sum up the attention and space that has been created because of Brat. I just have to get my dad to do the apple dance with me now ;) 

As we re-enter the warmer months with no school, the question remains: Are You Having A Brat Summer?

At this point, I declare every summer is a Brat summer. 

But the choice is, what does that look like to you? 

All images via Author